4 Reasons for Real Rent Control

Real Affordability:We know that the average rent for a unit in Vancouver and across BC is spiralling way out of control. With Real Rent Control, aka vacancy control, we will have legislation that protects what few affordable rental units are left-- forever. If landlords are not able to jack up rents between tenants, then we ensure that these units stay affordable!

Real Security: We have seen this situation too many times to count: a landlord evicts (or, what we say, “renovicts”) tenants living in more affordable suites under the guise of “renovations” or a “family member moving in”, and simply raises the rents by massive amounts to rent to the next person. With #RealRentControl, landlords no longer have that incentive to evict people, because they cannot raise rents between tenancies. Win!

Real Action on Poverty:We know the BC government is in the process of creating a Poverty Reduction Plan for the province. The thing is, any money that might go into reducing poverty (like raising welfare rates, for example!) will just go straight to the pockets of landlords without a measure like vacancy control! We already saw this happen in the fall of 2017: rates went up $100, and average rents in SRO hotels in the Downtown Eastside all went up by about $100. We call on the government to get real about ending poverty, and protect all affordability measures!

Real Simple Solution:We had Vacancy Control in the 1970s in BC. It is a simple piece of legislation, one line, easy-peasy! Not only is it simple to implement, but it will also help to lighten the load of the Residential Tenancy Board. This is because vacancy control abolishes most of the cases of “bad faith” evictions that the RTB sees, with landlords motivated by profit. Boom! Real change.

With one line of legislation, we can protect renters, low-income and diverse communities, and simplify the work that housing advocates and the Residential Tenancy Branch have to do, because Real Rent Control takes away the incentive for landlords to evict for profit motives.

The Real Rent Control BC campaign is active on the unceded and occupied territory of the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.